adidas sustainability score: 37/100
Better than 35% of Apparel (Durable / Outdoor)
Making progress starts at 46. The highest score on SINK is 71.
adidas designs and sells sports footwear, apparel and accessories through retailers and its own shops and websites. In 2025 footwear brought in €14,232 million and apparel €8,764 million of net sales, with €14,833 million sold through retailers and €9,931 million direct to consumers. adidas AG is registered in Herzogenaurach, Germany.
More about adidas
It had 64,938 employees at the end of 2025 and €24,811 million net sales that year.
Head office Herzogenaurach, GermanyStaff ~64,938 (31 December 2025, year-end)Revenue ~€24.81B net sales (2025)Website ↗
adidas' footprint was 6,364,851 tCO2e in 2025, not counting the use of its products, and it rose 18% on 2024 while net sales rose 5%. Scope 3 is 5% below its 2022 baseline, against a 42% cut due by 2030. About 43% of the electricity in its own operations is renewable, mostly through unbundled certificates, with a European power purchase agreement that started in 2025. Its targets are SBTi-validated, with net zero by 2050, and it buys no carbon credits. In March 2025 a German court, in a case brought by Deutsche Umwelthilfe, barred its 'climate neutral by 2050' advertising as misleading.
adidas scores 37/100 (Below expectations) on SINK's independent climate assessment, scored from public data only. Scores are free. Nobody can pay to change a score, speed it up or hide it. Last verified November 2026.
That places adidas joint 507th of 1,023 companies scored, and joint 37th of 58 in Apparel (Durable / Outdoor).
What is adidas doing well, and where does it fall short?
Strongest on Carbon Footprint: Operations and Carbon Footprint: Supply Chain (8/10, 7/10). Weakest on Emissions Trajectory and Energy Source (0/10, 4/10).
Where adidas lost points
For each question that lost points, the evidence our public rubric looks for that we didn't find.
What would raise this score
- Whether its emissions are fallingShow its emissions are falling.
- How clean its energy isShow at least half its energy is renewable, with a transition plan.
- Its effect on natureMeasure its effect on nature and have it independently verified.
Every question that lost points
- Emissions from its own operations8/10No verified figures published with their method and a falling trend.
- Emissions from its supply chain7/10No full value-chain map or supplier engagement programme.
- Whether its emissions are falling0/10No evidence its emissions are falling.
- How clean its energy is4/10Less than half its energy shown to be renewable, or no transition plan.
- Its effect on nature4/10Its effect on nature isn't measured or independently verified.
- How it uses materials and handles waste5/10No measurable waste or recycling targets reported publicly.
- Its effect on water5/10No measured water footprint with reduction targets.
- Its climate targets7/10No validated long-term net zero target.
- How openly it reports7/10No annual impact report, or no pay linked to climate targets.
- Its record on controversies5/10Points deducted for controversies or its business model. The finding is under question 10.
A score changes when the evidence does. We use new published evidence at the next rescore. Anyone can send us new evidence, free. How to send it.
How is adidas's SINK score calculated?
Same ten questions for every company. No private weighting.
SINK = (0.3 × Base + 0.7 × Performance) × ScaleHas adidas's score changed?
adidas's score has moved from 42 to 37 across 2 recorded reviews, down 5 points.
- 42 → 37-55 November 2026
Re-scored on v2.5 (brand batch: sportswear, 2026-11-05); pre-v2.5 record
- Scored 424 April 2026
Initial score at platform launch
What evidence is adidas's score based on?
15 sources used in this assessment. All publicly available. Each row shows which of the ten questions it informed.
60% of them were published by adidas itself; the rest come from independent sources.
“Scope 1 and 2 emissions, market-based (in tons CO 2 e) 127,983 135,814 (6%) 164,149 (22%)”
“During 2025, suppliers participating in our environmental program sourced 26.4% of their electricity from renewable sources”
“The Sustainability Statement has been audited with limited assurance by PricewaterhouseCoopers GmbH Wirtschaftsprüfungsgesellschaft (‘PwC’).”
“Intensity metrics keep improving at adidas, but 2025 is the year absolute emissions growth outran them.”
“To enhance transparency, we conducted a new comprehensive supply chain mapping for all leather suppliers we worked with in 2025”
“In 2025, 60% of the materials used for our products and packaging were recycled or sustainably sourced renewable materials”
“In the reporting year, we exceeded our 2025 water-intensity reduction target of 40%, achieving a 43% reduction (2024: 34%).”
“90% of our Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers meeting wastewater quality at or above the ZDHC Wastewater Foundational Level (2024: 86%).”
“a total of 80% of the target achievement is measured against financial criteria and a total of 20% is measured against non-financial or ESG criteria”
“Number of employees at year-end 3 , 4 , 15 64,938”
“Nun hat das Gericht Adidas per Urteil untersagt, eine bestimmte Werbeaussage weiterhin zu verwenden”
“The integrity of Adidas', H&M's and Inditex's climate strategies were given moderate ratings”
“Die Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH) hat eine Verurteilung der adidas AG wegen irreführender Werbung vor Gericht erwirkt (Az.: 3 HK O 6524/24).”
“this company has a zero or very low Engagement Intensity score on climate policy”
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How does adidas compare with other apparel (durable / outdoor) companies?
Where adidas sits among apparel (durable / outdoor) peers.
Among the 58 major apparel (durable / outdoor) brands we've scored, adidas is tied =37th of 58, with 1 other.
Who scores higher in Apparel (Durable / Outdoor)?
The 3 companies in the sector scoring nearest above adidas.
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